Artificial-tooth attachment and method of making and utilizing the same.



I. l. RICHARDS. ARTIFICIAL IOOTH ATIACHMENT AND METHOD OF MAKING ANDUTILIZING THE SAME,

- APPLICATION FILED OCT-29, I9I8. 1,296,009.,

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

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JOSEPH LVRIGHARDS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ARTIFICIAL-TOOTH ATTACHMENT AND METHOD OF MAKING AND UTILIZING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1155149.

Application filed October 29, 1918. Serial N 0. 260,103.

.b all 1.0km); it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, JOSEPH I. RICHARDS, a cltlzen of the United States,residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inArtificial- Teeth Attachments and Methods of Making and Utilizing theSame, of which the following is a specification.

My invent-ion relates to artificial teeth, particularly those known asplate-toothfacings, their manufacture and their utilization in allclasses of crown and bridge work.

The object of "my invention is to provide a simple, durable, inexpensiveand practical attachment for artificial-tooth-facings, and uniting themto bridge-work, Richmond crowns, standard crowns, porcelain crowns andall classes of such teeth commonly used and known as crown orbridge-work. In attaining these objects, I eliminateentirely the'use ofplatinum and I also reduce the quantity of gold necessary to secureresults which are both practical and more economicalthan heretofore.

To these ends my invention consists in the novel attachments, and in themethod of making and utilizing the same, as I shall now fully describeby reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa-posterior elevation of an artificial-tooth-facing.

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showingthe gold-foil lining 3 in the socket or opening 2 of the gauze shell orclip 4: to hold the two backings.

Fig. 5 is a section, enlarged, of the toothfacing, as in Fig. 4, showingthe gold solder 9 and the effect of flowing it over the posterior toothsurface.

1 is an artificial-tooth-facing of baked porcelain with the socket oropening 2 on the lingual surface. There may be one or more of theseopenings of any approved shape, such, for example, as the dove-tail formshown. The opening 2 is lined, as shown in Fig. 2, say, for example, 24K. gold foil, known as #30 or #60, and which is commonly used as afilling material. The gold lining 3 can be pressed into position orfluXed to the porcelain during the process of manufacture.

Into the gold lined opening 2, as seen in Fig. 3, is pressed a shell orclipel of metallic gauze. The gauze maybe gold, but in practice, a basermetal will'serve as well, and be more economical. This shell or clip isso pressed into the gold lined dove-tail opening as to adapt itselfclosely and intimately thereto throughout all its wall surface, and aportion or rim of said shell indicated by 5, is left projecting fromthesurface of the facing to serve as a binding ring in the progressiveassembling of parts and con struction.

The opening 2 thus lined by the gold 3 and the gauze 4 is now partiallyfilled with a flux wax 6, as a temporary binder.

The artifioial-tooth'facing and its attached parts, as thus fardescribed is the condition of the article as it leaves the manufacturerand is placed on sale for use by practioners.

In the hands of the dentist, the entire lingual surface of thetooth-facing is covered with pure gold foil 7, as shown in Fig. 4, andover this is placed a sheet of metallic gauze 8. The binding ring 5 ofthe metallic gauze shell or clip 4 is bent down upon the gauze backingsheet 8, to act as a binder,

The completed facing 1, together with other facings similarlyconstructed and prepared, are now assembled and all are united with goldsolder 9 usually employed in such work. The gold solder covers the wholeback of each facing and bridges and unites each facing of theassemblage. The effect and. position of the gold solder 9 is shown inFig. 5. It flows through the interstices of the gauze backing sheet 8and unites homogeneously with the gold foil backing 7. The heatevaporating the temporary flux wax 6, allows the gold solder to flowinto the opening 2 0f the facing, and through the lnterstices of thegauze shell or clip 4. and to unite homogeneously with the gold lining3. There is thus formed a practically solid with pure or fine gold 3,

gold key holding the facing and uniting all the facings in theassemblage. When baser metals are used for the gauze members, for

' melt and flow the 18 K. gold solder to its union with the gold foilmembers would without the intervention of the gauze melt and burn saidfoil. But with the gauze screen present the gold solder unites with thegold foil forming a solid mass and covering the inner surface of thewhole assemblage entirely with gold.

The economic features of my invention are now apparent. The use ofplatinum which is now prohibitive both on account of price and theimperative necessity for its use in other arts, isd'one away with.Platinum pins for artificial tooth-facings have heretofore been requiredas they alone will stand the heat of baking in themanufacture. But by myconstruction and method a substitute is found in the gold key as I havedescribed.

The gold and the porcelain tooth are in perfect contact and will allowno fluxes to enter which would tend to crack the porcelain tooth. Inthefinished work each tooth is held securely to the bridge by the goldfilled key;

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture an artificial-tootl1facing comprisinga porcelain member having in its lingual surface a socket; a gold foillining in said socket; a metallic gauze shell fitted closely to saidgold-foil lining; and a body offiux wax to temporarily hold said liningand shell in place.

2. As a new article of manufacture an ar tificial-tooth-facingcomprising a porcelain member having in its lingual surface a socket; agold foil lining in said socket; a metallic gauze shell fitted closelyto said fold-foil lining, said gauze-shell having a portion projectingfrom the inner surface of the porcelain member; and a body of flux waxto temporarily h'cld said lining and shell in place. I p v g Y 3. Crownor bridge work comprising an artificial-tooth-facing having in itslingual surface a socket; a gold foil lining in, said socket; ametallic-gauze-shell fitted closely to said gold foil lining; a goldfoil backing for the lingual surface of the facing; a me tallic gauzebacking sheet over said gold foil backing; and a body of gold soldercovering the gauze-backing, permeating its interstices and united withthe gold foil backing, and permeatin the gauze shell in the socket andunited with the gold foil lining in said socket.

4. Crown or bridge work comprising an artificial-tooth-facing having inits lingual surface a socket; a gold foil lining in said socket; ametallic-gauze-shell fitted closely to said gold-foil-lining, said shellhaving a portion projecting from the inner surface of the facingandadapted to be bent down thereupon; a gold-foil backing for the lingualsurface of the facing; a metallicgauze backing sheet over said gold-foilbacking, both backings being held by the bent down portion of thegauze-shell; and a body of gold solder covering the gauze backing,permeating its interstices and united with the gold foil backing, andpermeating the gauze shell in the socket andunited with the gold foillining in said socket.

5/ The method of manufacturing anartificial-tooth-facing ready for theuse'of dental practitioners which consists in first making a porcelainfacing with a lingual surface socket; then pressing into said socket agold-foil lining; then pressing into said socket upon the gold-foillining a shell of metallic gauze, leaving a portion of said shellprojecting from the socket gan'd finally placing a body of flux waxinthe socket to hold the lining and shell in place.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH r. RICHARDS.

Witnesses WM..F. BOOTH, D. B. RICHARDS.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressingthe Gomm'issionef of ream.

Washington, D. 0.

